Explosive-engine.



L. S. GARDNER.

BXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1906. RENEWED JAN. 5. 1912.

1,072,596, Patented Sept.9,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l. 1 R Kg 5 r Q) 1 0 Hon: R M

R W b 7 7 Zt/z ezcseax v Jean Zi gy, 1,41- h; @M

COLUMBIA PLANOLIRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D1 c.

L. s. GARDNER. EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1906. RENEWED JAN. 5, 1912.

1,072,596. Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fig

1 A I 776 T i 6 2%" f 77 0 v I I i i fi I r3 H277 76272665 63, Y fiza ew/z' 24 Jevd? Gardrzer COLUMBIA PLANoeRAfii cm, WASHINGTON, I:v c.

Y L; S. GARDNER EXPLOSIVB ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1906. RENEWED JAN. 5. 1912.

Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. java/ 21571 Jew/2W Qarciner Wa s as UNITED STATES PATE T I mm,

,tnv s.- GARDNER, on NEW oR'LEAivs, LOUISIANA:

. EXPLOSIVE-ENGINE;

Specification of Letters l atent.

Patented Sept. 9,1913.

Application filedjune 19, 1906, Serial No. 322,379. n newed January 5, 1912. Serial No. $69,725:.

will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, refer ence being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthis specification.

-My invention has 'for its object the pro 'duction of an explosive engine, possessing the following advantages, to wit: 1.. An "engine 1n which the explosive mixture after the explosion is expanded to atmospheric pressure, thus utilizing the full efficiency of the explosion in power. 2. By thus expanding the exploslve mixture to atmospheric pressure and thus exhausting 1t mto the air the exhaust is'silent and the necessity ofa mufiler obviated. 3. An engine in which, be

cause of the expansion of the explosive mixture to atmospheric pressure, the cylinder will not run as hot as in the ordinary structure and can be easily air-cooled withoutthe necessity of a water jacket. r

In the drawings Figure l is a horizontal section with parts in elevation of. myimproved engine; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 -2 Fig. 1; Fig. dis a section in detail of the cam for operating the exhaust valve; Fig. 4c is a vertical section with parts in elevation of a variation in the structure; Fig. 5 is a detail of thetop of what might be termed the gas or valve ring; Fig. 6 is a view of the under-side of the same; Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 4:; Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross section on the line8+8 Fig. 4:. a

In carrying out the invention describe the same as applied to a horizontal long stroke engine being the structure shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In these-figuresA represents the bedplate or frame of the engine,

- and B the cylinder, thereof surrounded by the'water-jacket C. Dis the usual crank shaft with the crank D thereon, and D is the connecting rod pivotedvat cl to the piston E. d are the usual packing rings in the piston. 'E represents any suitable form of igniter, that shown'being an electricspark plug, thev connections therefor not being shownas they may beof any well known construction.

I win first F is the exhaust. pipe con-v surrounding the stem G of the exhaust valve G, and; tending to keep it normally closed. Pivoted to a bracket H which extends from the exhaust pipe F is a lever H trolled bythe exhaust valve G a spring G one ,end adapted to bear on the end of the exhaustvalve stem G while to theother end 1s p voted the valve rod 'H which extends through, the bearing H on the frame and is provided "with an anti-frictionroller H on its, end. On the crank shaft. D is af'cam D adapted at each revolutionof the shaft to bear against the roller HFan'd move the valve .rod H to 'openthe exhaust valveG.

It will be observed that this cam D is ta-.

pered sothat by shifting longitudinally on 7 the shaft it may operate to hold the. exhaust valveopen for a greater or less length of-time: This cam is mounted on a sleeve D4 splined to the crankshaft by the spline D andeprovided with a groove D in which a yoke 'D travels. Thus by shifting this yoke the cam is shifted along the crank shaft. J represents the intake valve shown in detail, in Fig. 2, andconsisting of the usual form ofvalve J with a stem J surrounded by a spring J which tends tokeep it normally'closed, thus closing the gas admission pipe J 3 and allowing the valve to open when a suctionfiscreated in the cylinder by the movement of the piston. Located in the cylinder at apre-determined point are the gas admission ports K and on the exterior of. the cylinder and surrounding these ports is a channel K. The gas admission pipe J 3 discharges into this channel K. The operation of this form of'the structureisasfollows: In Fig. lthe piston is at the'ignition point, tha t is to say the the piston passes the ports K,- because of the fact that the gas in'the cylinder behind the piston has been expanded substantially to atmospheric pressuresuction will be created and fresh gas will be drawn past the valve J through the channel K through the ports K and into the cylinder. The piston thenmoves down until one volume of fresh gas has been admitted through drawing in the necessary fresh charge and this fresh gas is obviously between the end of the piston and burned gas. By this tiine'the piston has reached the end "of its stroke and starts back, forcing the fresh gas immedithrough the exhaust port until the end of the piston has reached such a point that; there is nothing remaining 'infthe cylinder except the fresh -gas that has been *drawnf in as described. Th e cam then rides ofi from the end of. the valve rod and allows the; va'lveto close andthe continued movement; of the piston to its maximum fstrokejcornq presses the fresh gas in the cylinder readyfor another ignition.

rod H The obj ect "of this is to 'controlthe sp'eedof the engine by opening the exhaust valve whenthe piston is at afgreater or less distance from the end of itssuction stroke,

"thus determining the amount of fresh gas that drawn into the combustion chamber. To illustrate, if the maximum charge of fresh gas is desired-the exhaust valve is not v opened untilthe piston reaches the end of its suction stroke, whereas if a less charge of fresh gas is desired, when the a mountof freshigas desired has been drawn into the comhusti'o'n "chamber the exhaust valve is; opened thus destroying the vacuum, and al- 3 lowing either burned gas that has been" dis- 1 charged or fresh air, to follow into the chamber.- The exhaust valvebeinglocated at a point distant from the point where the fresh gas is admitted this admission of either air or-burned gas does'not in any way affect the freshgas. V In Figs. l to 8 inclusive Ihave shown: the invention embodied in a structure "of different form. The structure shown in these latter figures is of a vertical type ins'teadof a horizontal type as-above-described. This vertical type is what may be termed a short stroke .engine and in it as in 'the'horizontal "type 13 represents the crank shaft, TD"-the "crank, D the connecting rod, I-P the valve rod, 'H the exhaust valve lever pivoted to.

"the'brac'ket H, G the exhaust valve, G 'the exhaust valve stem, and "G *the spring for keeping 'the exhaust valve normally closed.

with an-extension M bot-h the main cylinder 7 andex'tensionbei-ng providedwith radiating flanges m such as are ordinarily used on the cylinders of'a-ir-cooled motors, the purpose being "to allow the heat generated by the -explosions to radiate to the atmosphere. N

representsthepiston, the connecting rod D being pivoted thereon. The piston is also provided with a hollow extension N which fits in the extension h of the cylinder.

Sui-table ports N are provided in the :end

of the piston N at the point where .itjoins themain piston N. E represents the ignltion apparatus preferably an electric spark plug. Formed on the cylinder M by the wallsm andwhat may be termed the valve or gas ring M is the fresh gas chamber M The said ring M is'shown in detail in Figs. V

'5aind '6, and is bolted to the flanges m on the wallsem. The gas is admitted to this chamber M through the port M At four points (although the number may -be increasedor decreased if desired) in the gas a i I fring M afre gas admission ports m (see v By, reference to Figs. '1' and 3, as-pro viouslyexplained the cam D can beshifted along the crank shaft. Thisis for thepurpose of bringing awideror narrower portion of the cam DflaS'desiredopposi'te the valve Fig.8) and these admission ports are governed'b'y admission valves 0,0", the valve slightly higher level than the others, and

"for the -purposes which I will later explain,

its springds somewhat weaker than the "others-so that when the piston acts to suck int-he fresh gas this valve will open first "and admit the fresh gas toa point close to the ignition plug. The operation of this structure is as follows: We will assume that the piston, as shown in Fig. 4, is at its maximum compression point. The gas 1s exploded and drives the piston down, the. burned gas *filling the interior oft'he piston is equalized. ,The piston is driven down until thebumed gas has been expanded as f'i-n thehorizontal construction to atmospheric pressure. the plston will commence to form a vacuum As soon 'as'it reaches this point in the-cylinder 'and this will cause, first'the inlet valve, '0', hec'ause-ofits weaker spring, 'i ftoopen and allow fresh gas to 'enter,'and "depending upon the strength of the springs around the other valves they will also be opened and allow fresh gas to enter just as As soon as the piston reaches its maximum downward stroke thecam D on the crank in the operatiomof the 'horizontal structure.

' piston starts to return the burned gaszahead ofthe fresh ,gas both-i-n the main cylinderM and in the hollow piston N, will be forced out through the exhaust. The "fresh :gas

which has been drawnin behind the piston N forces the :burned gas out through the ports N and out through the hollow piston N to the exhaust.

In practice the valve will probably be "closed 'a little more than one volume from the end of the upward stroke so as to in sure the retention-of all the fresh gas and thus a small quantity of :burned. gas will 1'6- main around the exhaust valve. This is not essential, however, it only being necessary to close the exhaust valve G at such time as is desired in order to secure the desired compression as the piston completes its upward stroke.

It will thus be seen that I have produced an explosive engine in which the proportions and arrangements of parts and the arrangement of valves is such that as soon as the piston in its movement after, the explosion has expanded the charge to atmospheric pressure fresh gas is admitted, in such a way, and to such a point that when the piston starts on its return stroke it discharges the burned gas first and then compresses the fresh gas.

This form of engine has many advantages among which are; that the exhaust gas is always discharged into the atmosphere at atmospheric pressure, thus obviating the necessity of a muffler at the exhaust; that with the use of a given amount of fuel a large increase in power is obtained; that the engine will run much cooler than the ordie nary engine for the reason that the maximum efliciency of the fuel is utilized as power; that by it an explosion is obtained at every revolution; and that it is simple in construction, and eflicient in operation.

While I have herein used the term gas, I wish to be understood as contemplating by that word any explosive mixture.

Having now fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an explosive engine the combina: tion with the cylinder, the piston, the ignition means, and the exhaust valve, of a fresh gas admission valve adapted to admit fresh gas before the completion of the stroke of the piston due to the explosion, and means for opening said exhaust valve in advance of the completion of said stroke of the piston whereby the amount of fresh gas admitted is regulated.

2. In an explosive engine the combination with the cylinder, the piston, the ignition means, and the exhaust valve, of afresh gas I admission valve of the suction type adaptfresh gas admission ports governed by valves adjacent to the main cylinder head and an exhaust valve adjacent to the outer end of the cylinder extension. 7

4. In an explosive engine the combination with the cylinder, the piston andthe i gnition means of an extension on the cylinder, a hollow extension on the piston adapted to travel in said extension on said cylinder, one or more ports in said hollow exten- "sion adjacent to the main piston head, one

or more fresh gas admission valves located adjacent to the main cylinder head and an exhaust valve located adjacent to the outer end of theextension cylinder.

5. In an internal combustion engine, a combination with a cylinder and igniting means, ofa, piston movable within said cylinder and having a stroke sutlicient to permit the ignited charge to expand in the cylinder and below atmospheric pressure before the completion of the working stroke,

means for admitting a combustible charge into the cylinder along the face of the pis- -ton when the piston reaches approximately the point in its working stroke where the pressure in the cylinder becomes approximately that of the atmosphere, and a mechanically-actuated exhaust valve in the end of the cylinder in which the piston lies at the beginning of the working stroke.

v In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

LEVI S. GARDNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

Washington, D. G. 

